Powder container dispensing head



A. 116, 1937. H. A. cm?! 4 POWDER CONTAINER DISPENSING HEAD Filed July 21, 1956 ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWDER CONTAINER DISPENSING HEAD Harry A. ciufi, San Francisco, Calif. Application July 21, 1936, Serial. No. 91,688 13 Claims; (01. 221-66) This invention relates to powder-dispensing devices generally and more specifically to a powder container dispensing head and closure for containers for tooth powder, abrasive powdens, or other powders, and has for its objects the provision of a dispensing head or cap that will seal the contents of the container against discharge through the head when not in use and will also permit opening the. head to flow of powder therethrough and willinsure a freefiow of the powder at all'times when the head is open to'flow. Other objects and advantages will appear in the specification and drawing annexed hereto. l

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an 'elevational view of my device on the upper end of a container.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view as seen from the line 2'-2 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a top plan view of' my device withthe "2' head closed to flow of powder.

Fig. 4 is a plan view with the head open. to flow of powder. 1 Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the working mechanism within the head.

r Fig. 6 is a sectional view seen from the line 6 6 of Fig. 3 with the head-inverted, thepor-' tion of the container being shown with the head attached' In detail, my invention comprises a cap-like shell formed with a cylindrical skirt. I adapted to be secured to the neck of acontainer; 2 by crimping, threading,'so1d'ering, or by friction, as may be desired, the figuresinthe drawing showing the shell firmly'held'inplace by friction so as to be removable, if? desired, but which will not be acoidentally'dislodged. The walls of the shell are convergently tapered. from the skirt portion to a horizontally elongated discharge aperture 3 in axial-alignment: over the opening in the neck of thecontai'ner 2", said walls attwo opposite sides 5 being: flat and of greater .inclination relative to vertical and terminating at their outer edges adjacent the longitudinal edges of the aperture 3 while the two opposite walls 6 at right angles to walls, 5- are more nearly vertical and terminate at their outer edgesadjacent the ends of aperture 3;; All four sides 5, 5, 6, E, are slanted toward the. aperture 3'to their outer margins alongthe aperture 3,-which opposite margins of opposite walls are turned toward each other to almost horizontal, but

still slightly inclined toward the aperture so as to insure the powder in the container being directed toward the single aperturewhen the con- 55 tainer is inverted asin Fig. ,6.

Removably covering the aperture 3'is an elongated resilient strip of metal 1 turned up at its opposite ends at 8 so the strip will conform longitudinally and transversely to the shape of. the margins of the walls 5, 6 at the aperture and *5 will overlap the margins at the side edges of the strip. and extend across the aperture 3, while the ends 8 will lie alongside and against the side walls 6. Said ends 8 are struck'inwardly'slight ly at 9 to form relatively small inwardly pro- 10 je'cting bosses and the side walls 6 are correspondingly struck inwardly to form sockets: to rotatably receive the bosses so the bosses will snap into the sockets for pivotally securing the strip in place on the shell in a position. to swing l5 laterally to cover and to uncover the aperture 3. The ends 8, being resilient, will frictionally grip the walls 6 sufiicient to hold the strip in open or closed position relative to the aperture, but will permit the strip to easily be moved: to either position.

The shell comprising the main body of the head is annularly grooved at IU adjacentv the juncture of the skirt I and sides 5, 6, for pro.- viding means for-holding amechanism within the head.- for loosening the powder and moving the strip 1 from over the opening.

This mechanism comprises a spring-wire (see Figs. 2, 5 and 6) bent to substantially annular form at one end to form a ring posit-ion, II which ring is adapted to be sprung into place within the groove l0 within the shell. This wire'is then bent to extend slantingly away from the plane of the ring toward the axis of the ring at l2 and is formed with a loop l3 positioned about at the axis of the ring from which loopthe wire is extended at M toward and to adjacent one end of aperture 3 where it is turnedback again at l5 to extend alongside and adjacent one of the walls 5 to about the plane of the ring ll 40 where it is bent to extend horizontally across the shell to the opposite wall 5, at l6, then down along the inner side of wall 5, at IT, and through the aperture 3 at the end thereof. The end of the wire projecting through the aperture is bent at l8 transversely of the aperture so as to slightly overlie the margin of the wall at the aperture. At a point about intermediate the ends of the portion M of the wire, said portion is formed with a small loop l9 through which is projected one end 20 of a horizontal wire 2|, the end 20 being bent beyond the loop slightly so as to preventits withdrawal from the loop. This wire 2| passes fairly loosely through. a small aperture 22 in a side wall 6 to outside the shell where it is extended outwardly a distance and formed at its outer end to a ring 23 that is disposed in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shell.

The wire 2! extends in a direction transversely of the plane in which portions ES, I! of the wire mechanism within the shell are disposed and extends through the side wall 6 of the shell adjacent the end of aperture 3 in which the portion 18 is disposed so that upon pressing against ring 23 the end ill will be moved against the force of spring loop l3 to the opposite end of the aperture 3 and the portions I5, I! will also move over the side walls 5. Upon releasing pressure on ring 23 the end i8 and portions I5, I! will automatically swing back to normal position again under the influence of spring loop I3.

One of the longitudinally extending edges of the strip 1 that normally covers the aperture 3 is notched at one end i to pass the end of the wire'adjacent the'bent end i3 thereof with the inclined :sideof-the notch extending toward the end of the aperture opposite the end thereof at which end 18 is'normally positioned, thereby providing a cam surfaceso that the movement of the end of the wireprojecting through the aperture 3'Iw'ill automatically force the strip 7 to uncover the slot, as seen in Fig. 4, upon pressing ring 23, and at the same time loosen the powder in the shell to fiowthrough .the aperture and the portions. l5, II of the wire will also move at the same time to'prevent packing of the powder on the sides of'the shell. After the first full operation on ring '23 to effect a full swing of end l8 from endto end of the aperture, merely an alternate pressure and release of the finger on ring 23 will cause a continuous flowing of powder. (-when the :container is inverted) without any possibility of the powder packing at the aperture and arching inside the shell. After the desired amount of powder has been discharged, the operator merely swings the strip 1 across the aperture' to closed position, the end' i8 forming a stop, and the container closed.

It'will be'seen from the foregoing that a cheap, highly efficient, and positive construction is provided to insure 'a free flow of powder from a container and to close the container when not in use. There are'nosoldered joints, and only four parts to the entire head, all of which can be cheaply made and assembled.

While I have shown a metal container 2, it is obvious that the container can be of any material, such as glass, cardboard, Bakelite, or the like." Likewise the material of the shell can be hard rubber, Bakelite, etc. From this detailed description and illustration of-one preferred embodiment, the invention itself, in its broader aspecta'will be clear to those skilled inthe art.

It might be added that adjacent aperture 3 the portions [5, M, of the wire extend transversely across the aperture as at 25 and I have found that this portion 25 also materially assists in insuring free flow of powder, and although I have found that the provision of projection I8 is' preferable, nevertheless very good results are obtainable by omitting the same, also I have found that I 'can obtain good results by omitting portions l5, l1, and forming the wire M at its outer end with a projection similar to the end l8.

' j Having described my invention, I claim:

hA-device for delivering powdered material from a container comprising a hollow body open at one side for admitting material to Within the body and the body being formed with an elongated discharge aperture for discharging the material therefrom, a member disposed normally at one end of said aperture mounted for oscillatory movement in opposite directions substantially from end to end of the aperture, means for moving said member, said member being formed to permit a substantial fiow of material through the aperture to substantially the full fiow capacity of the aperture at all times during movement of said member and to break upthe powder against packing at the aperture upon its movement.

v 2. In a construction as defined in claim 1, the walls of said body being convergently tapered toward the edges of the aperture, and said mem ber projecting from within the aperture therethrough and terminating adjacent the outer side of the body at the aperture.

3. In a construction as defined in claim 1, a closure on said body movable from a position covering said" aperture to a position uncovering said aperture, automatically actuated by said member upon movement thereof from its normal position at one end of the aperture to the op posite end for moving the closure to the position uncovering-the aperture.

4. In a construction as, defined in claim 1, means within said member extending away from the aperture and adajacent the inner sides of the body connected to said member for simultaneous movement therewith for dislodging material disposed along the inner sides of the body and for facilitating the flow of material along the sides toward the aperture.

5. In :a device of the character described, a container for powdered material provided with a dispensing head for dispensing said material therefrom, said head comprising a tubular body opening at one end to within the container and the opposite end being formed with an elongated discharge aperture, a movable member projecting through the aperture in a normal position at one end thereof, spring means arranged and adapted to yieldably urge said member to said normal position at one end of said aperture, means accessible for pressing by a finger of a person arranged and adapted to move said member to the opposite end of said aperture against the force of said spring means upon pressure of the finger be ing applied thereto and said spring means being operative to automatically return said member to its normal position upon relieving said pressure, a closure movably mounted on said head normally covering said aperture before actuation of'the'means for'moving said member arranged and adapted to automatically be moved to a position uncovering said aperture by movement of said member to said opposite end of the aperture and to remain in said position upon return of said member to its normal position.

6. In a construction as defined in claim 5, said closure being arranged and adapted for manually returning the same to a position covering said aperture only when said member is in said normal position.

'7. In a construction as defined in claim 5, said spring means comprising a spring wire and said member being a continuation of said wire.

8. In a construction as defined in claim 5, two opposite side walls of said tubular body extend.-

ing divergently from the opposite elongated edges of said aperture in a direction toward said container whereby the material will be directed toward said aperture for discharge therefrom.

9. In a device of the character described, a container for powdered material provided with a dispensing head for dispensing said material therefrom, said head comprising a tubular body opening at one end to within the container and the opposite end being formed with an elongated aperture, one of the side walls of said body being flattened and extending slantingly from one of the elongated side edges of said aperture relative to the side wall opposite thereto toward said container, means within said body positioned adjacent said flattened side wall mounted for movement along said flattened side wall in a direction longitudinally of said aperture for loosening 5 powdered material in said body, and manually actuated means accessible from outside said body for manually causing said movement in one direction.

10. In a construction as defined in claim 9,

20 spring means connected to said first-mentioned means for causing said first-mentioned means to move in the opposite direction upon release of the manually actuated means.

11. In a construction as defined in claim 9, a

5 member secured to said first-mentioned means and movable therewith projecting into said aperture, and spring means yieldably retaining said first-mentioned means in a position at one side of said body.

30 12. In a device of the character described, a container for powdered material provided with a dispensing head for dispensing said material therefrom, said head comprising a tubular body opening at one end to Within the container and the opposite end being formed with an elongated aperture, two opposite side walls of said body being flattened and extending divergently from the opposite elongated side edges of said aperture toward said container, a pair of elongated elements positioned within the body extending respectively from said aperture along said side walls in a direction toward said container and substantially parallel to said side walls, and means for moving said elements longitudinally of said aperture in opposite directions for loosening powder at the aperture and along said side walls to prevent packing of the powder within the head, and means mounting said element for said movement.

13. In a construction as defined in claim 10, one of said elements having an extension at its end adjacent said aperture extending transversely across said aperture, said extension being movable with said element and of small dimensions relative to the area of said aperture whereby there is substantially no obstruction to flow of material through said aperture during its movement with the element to which it is connected.

HARRY A. CIUFI. 

